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2025 Holiday Message
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As we turn the pages to the last chapters of 2025, I want to share a few thoughts with you, discuss some current events, and share some of the tentative plans for the future of ADC.
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SECOND AMENDMENT NEWS
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Over the past month there’s both encouraging momentum and troubling resistance on the Second Amendment front.
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Good News
- Supreme Court Taking More Gun Cases: The Court agreed to hear Wolford v. Lopez (challenging Hawaii’s law requiring express permission to carry on private property) and United States v. Hemani (testing the constitutionality of banning gun ownership by habitual drug users). For gun rights advocates, the Court’s willingness to take multiple Second Amendment cases in one term is unprecedented and signals a stronger judicial focus on expanding protections.
- Potential Expansion for Young Adults: The Court is reviewing petitions on whether 18–20-year-olds can be barred from owning or purchasing firearms. This could lead to a landmark ruling affirming young adults’ rights.
- ATF Leadership Shift: President Trump nominated Robert Cekada as ATF Director. Unlike past nominees viewed as hostile to gun rights, Cekada has a long career inside ATF and is respected by the firearms industry. He helped roll back Biden-era policies like the “zero tolerance” rule against gun dealers for minor paperwork errors and the pistol brace ban. Pro-gun groups see him as the first truly pro-Second Amendment nominee to lead ATF.
- Congressional Push Against the NFA: Over 30 House Republicans, led by Rep. Andrew Clyde, urged Attorney General Pam Bondi to stop defending the NFA after the $200 tax on suppressors and short-barreled rifles was repealed. They argue the law cannot stand without its tax basis.
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Bad News
- Pam Bondi’s DOJ Defending the NFA: Despite Trump’s executive order to protect the Second Amendment, Bondi’s DOJ filed briefs reframing NFA challenges as tax issues rather than Second Amendment violations. Her office argued that the NFA remains constitutional under Congress’s taxing power, Commerce Clause, and Necessary and Proper Clause. The DOJ explicitly defended restrictions on short-barreled rifles and suppressors, citing their “criminal misuse” potential. This is disappointing and frankly, worrisome. The language used in this interpretation could provide ammunition for future, less gun-friendly administrations to expand the scope of restrictive laws.
- Castle Doctrine Case in Indiana: A tragic shooting in Whitestown, Indiana, where a cleaning worker was mistakenly shot at a home, has raised questions about the scope of self-defense laws. While not a Supreme Court case, it highlights ongoing scrutiny of gun rights in real-world scenarios.
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GLOCK DRAMA PART II
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On October 21st, Glock alienated its fan base by folding to anti-gun pressure and announcing it would be discontinuing its current product line to introduce a new V-model line to prevent full-auto conversions with "Glock switches." It took only hours for images of Glock switches that will function on the new V-models to be posted on social media. "You can't stop the signal"
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This shows the ridiculousness of firearms restrictions in a market like the United States. The genie is already out of the bottle. There is a legislative downside to this as well, lawmakers who are easily convinced that certain classes of firearms must be restricted due to their "criminal misuse potential" could use this as a motivation to ban or restrict the most common designs. I think things were better when we didn't interpret "shall not be infringed" as "shall not be infringed unless it's necessary and proper." General Gage thought it was necessary and proper to attempt to confiscate colonists' muskets and powder in April of 1775 before the battle at Lexington and Concord.
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LATEST GEAR REVIEW
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My latest gear review was posted a few days ago on Spotterup. You can read it here: Decked Honcho 80.
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HANDGUARD HISTORY
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Some of you have been friends of mine long enough to know the story behind the ADC handguards and gas blocks, but if you want the whole story, here it is: HANDGUARDS
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2026
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I am still looking for a suitable range facility for classes here in Arizona. In the meantime, I have already scheduled a 2026 class in March, hosted by the Kemper County Sheriff's Department in DeKalb, Mississippi. This is an open-enrollment class at their request. Cost is $400 but in addition to the usual swag, students will be taking home a small armorer's kit, which is included in the class price.
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I have found Arizona's November weather quite mild compared to what most of us are used to. Optimal training time here will probably be over the winter and spring months. If you are looking for an escape from the cold for a bit and want to spend some range time with me. Keep your eyes on our class schedule, as I intend to get some classes scheduled soon. I wish you all a safe and happy Holiday Season!
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PO Box 20054 Mesa, Arizona 85277
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